


Dreams of the Past

by itsaflokiboat



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: AU, Castles, F/F, Ghosts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-07-14 23:53:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16051175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsaflokiboat/pseuds/itsaflokiboat
Summary: Lena was having a hard time falling asleep. The bed was soft and comfortable, the embers in the hearth warmed the room and bathed it in a soft orange glow. It was a haven from the storm outside, a safe place, hidden from the rain and wind beating the castle walls.But however safe and warm the room, Lena couldn’t help but feel uneasy. She had been moved to the Luthor owned property after accusations of fraud and unethical research had lead to a call for her arrest. The call for information on her whereabouts, combined with L-Corps enemies seeing this as an opportunity to get rid of her, had made National City an unsafe place for her to be.





	Dreams of the Past

Lena was having a hard time falling asleep. The bed was soft and comfortable, the embers in the hearth warmed the room and bathed it in a soft orange glow. It was a haven from the storm outside, a safe place, hidden from the rain and wind beating the castle walls.

  
   
But however safe and warm the room, Lena couldn’t help but feel uneasy. She had been moved to the Luthor owned property after accusations of fraud and unethical research had lead to a call for her arrest. The call for information on her whereabouts, combined with L-Corps enemies seeing this as an opportunity to get rid of her, had made National City an unsafe place for her to be.

 

Lillian had sent her to the castle ruins in Ireland. Its defensive walls had long since collapsed, but the central building was intact, and had been upgraded with modern furniture and running water, although there was no access to electricity or the internet. The nearest phone was in the small town 15 miles away. No one would find her here, as long as she stayed out of sight of nosy tourists.

 

Lena had arrived that afternoon, the journey by private jet and then a car and driver had been comfortable, and entirely under the radar. As far as the authorities knew she had never left the US. Lillian had taken care of everything, and as Lena arrived at the castle, single carry on suitcase in hand, a girl had been waiting on the steps with a big smile and a warm ‘Welcome home miss Luthor!’

 

The girl had introduced herself as Jess, hired by Lillian to look after Lena during the day, to bring her meals from the village and keep her rooms at the castle clean and heated. She had seemed nice enough, making small talk as she showed Lena around the few rooms in the castle that had been prepared for her arrival, telling Lena about the castle, and asking her about her likes and dislikes.

 

\--

 

There were only four rooms furnished and conditioned for living in. To get to her new home, Jess had lead Lena up a spiral staircase at the back of the ruins, and through a small green door at the top of them, locked with padlocks. Lena had half expected to see a janitor’s closet behind it, but instead it had lead into a small hallway that opened up into a lavish sitting room, with soft couches and carpets on the floor and walls. A big fireplace covered a significant portion of the wall to the right, and high windows let in daylight.

 

“You’d have to stay away from the windows here Miss Luthor, these are easily visible from the lawn where the tours start. The bedroom has windows that face the courtyard, they should be out of sight.” Jess had explained as if it was the most normal thing in the world to be locked in a castle ruin thousands of miles from home, and still have to stay away from the windows.

 

Lena had nodded, tilting her head to take in the high ceiling, painted with frescoes and embellished with golden details. She had followed Jess to the connected kitchen, eyes still on the ceiling as Jess chattered away. A dull thud had interrupted Jess’ explanation of the origins of the dining set, and had made her spin around, rushing to Lena’s side as she saw her double over in pain, face contorted.

 

“Are you alright Miss Luthor?” A hand on Lena’s arm steadied her as dizziness hit. Lena took a deep breath “Yes, yes I’m fine” she panted, gritting her teeth and waiting for the pain in her hip to subside. “My bad, I didn’t look where I was going”. She gingerly lifted the hem of her blouse and inspected the area on her hip where a bruise was already forming. “That’s gonna hurt.” Lena pulled a face, only half joking. “What were you saying about the table?”

 

“I was just saying that it is one of the few things here that came with the castle when your family bought it. It’s a couple hundred years old actually. 16th century I think.”

 

“It seems pretty sturdy to me. Why do you think it attacked me? Maybe the castle doesn’t like me”, Lena joked, fully expecting Jess to laugh. When she was met with silence she looked up to see Jess’ face looking solemn, and slightly whiter than before. “Jess?” Lena prompted, “What’s the matter?”

 

“Oh nothing Miss Luthor”, Jess shook it off, “ it’s just, you hear things, people talk you know, in the village after a couple pints”

 

“What things Jess?” Lena’s voice was stern now. “You better tell me if this place is haunted or something”

 

“Oh no, it’s just talk Miss, drunks talking about seeing shadows behind the windows, light in the towers sometimes, that sort of thing. It’s the usual urban myths, nothing to worry about.”

 

“So why do I feel you are worried?”

 

“I’m not.” it came out just a little too quickly to sound credible.

 

“Jess?” Lena fixed her with a Luthor glare.

 

“Miss, I’m sorry I brought it up, it’s nothing really.”

 

Lena looked skeptical, but decided to drop it for the moment. “Call me Lena, please.” Her expression softened, “So, the kitchen is through here?”

 

\--

 

The kitchen had turned out to be a large room with an old fashioned coal stove in one corner. Long tables in the middle allowed a workspace large enough to cook a meal for a royal family. Lena had half expected aromatics to be hanging from the ceiling, but the exposed wooden beams were empty. Jess had opened a closet to show several large tubs filled with snacks and quick no-heat meals. A large plastic barrel in the corner held fresh water for drinking, and a small vat placed horizontally on one of the counters had a tap attached. Lena had immediately grabbed a glass from the stain steel racks next to it and opened the tap, eager to confirm her hopeful guess as to its contents. A dark red wine had streamed into the glass, causing Lena to smile and relax for the first time since she had arrived. At least there was alcohol to help her get through this.

 

\--

 

A second staircase at the back of the kitchen lead to the next floor, where a small study served as the entry hall to a large bedroom. A large four poster bed, complete with dark blue velvet curtains, sat in the middle of the room, elevated on a platform, with two small steps leading up to it. The antique style clashed with the modern Ikea closets placed along the wall next to it, even though the colors of the wood had clearly been picked to match. According to Jess the bed was from the same era as the dining set.

 

In the corner of the room there was an alcove, Jess had explained that’s where the handmaidens had slept. “Don’t worry though miss, You’ll have the room to yourself, I will sleep at home in the village. I will be here during the day to look after you and keep you company, if you need anything during the night you can ask J’onn, he’s the groundskeeper here. He lives in the cottage at the start of the driveway.” Lena had nodded, unsure how to feel about staying at an abandoned castle alone.

 

A door next to the alcove connected to a fancy master bathroom, and once Jess had assured Lena that there was hot water available, Lena had thanked Jess for the tour and dismissed the girl so she could take a shower and recover from the journey.

 

\-----

 

Now the night had fallen, and Lena was sitting in a chair by the fire in the bedroom. Jess had gone home after Lena had finished her dinner, consisting of spicy lamb stew and fresh bread, taking the dishes back to town with her.  Lena had been left alone, and had decided to retreat to her bedroom, closing the doors to the rest of the castle to make the empty space around her feel smaller.

 

She had always lived in big empty houses, but those had been modern, with electricity and internet. Here all she had was a dim battery operated desk lamp, a fireplace and several candles bathing the room in an eerie flickering light that made the shadows seem to shift. And outside the wind howled, rain battered the windows, the sound only slightly diffused by the heavy curtains.

_A storm in an abandoned castle. _ _Isn’t that how ghost stories begin?_  She laughed out loud at the notion, startling herself with the unexpected sound.  _“Come on Lee, you’re a Luthor, don’t tell me you’re afraid of the dark”,_  her brother’s voice echoed in her head, causing her to sit up a bit straighter and take a deep breath.

She smiled at the memory of that night. She had been out at the cabin with Lex, listening to him tell scary stories by the fire until she was nodding off on his lap, too afraid to go to bed. She had been 8 years old, and so much had happened since then. She touched a finger to the picture on the desk, Lex holding her arms while she leaned forward, trying to get away, both of them laughing. It had been the first thing she had unpacked, and the only thing of sentimental value she had brought with her. She missed him, ever since the day he had left all those years ago she had felt lost.

_“_ _I wish you were here”_ , she whispered to the picture. 

Unable to concentrate on the books Jess had brought her, she decided to go to bed and get some rest. She drew back the curtains of the large bed, looking at the fresh sheets and colorful blankets that were clearly brand new. The bed wasn’t much larger than her king sized bed at home, but it seemed intimidating, empty and cold. She stopped and stared at it for a few long seconds, before making a decision, pulling the blankets off, grabbing a pillow and walking over to the alcove in the corner. While the doors to close it had been removed, the small nook made her feel safer, contained. It occurred to her it might be because here she could keep an eye on the whole of the room. Just in case…

 

\---

_ Lena moved through the rooms of the castle, a long dress flowing around her legs down to the floor. She knew she was looking for someone, though she didn’t know who or why. _

 

\--

 

Jess found her the next morning, leaned against the wall in a corner of the alcove and wrapped up in a king sized blanket, half of which had fallen to the floor in a heap, her feet buried in it, hair plastered across her face, deep asleep. Jess smiled as she quietly stoked up the fire, and made a mental note to find a mattress that would fit the alcove.

 

\-----

 

A week later Lena had gotten used to the castle, spending her mornings exploring the grounds with the gardener Winn, who showed her the gardens with a sense of pride only a professional would have. Sam, a local beekeeper who kept her bees at the castle gardens so they could benefit from the variety of flowers, showed her the bees and taught her how to remove the honey without pissing them off. Once Lena had tapped a jar and moved to put it in Sam’s basket, Sam had stopped her and said that she could keep it, it was a gift from the bees, they had both laughed at the serious way she said that. They had quickly become friends, and Sam often stayed for lunch, talking about everything and nothing with Jess and Lena. Within a week it was like they had known each other their whole lives.

 

Her afternoons, when the tours started and she had to stay out of sight, were spent on the couches in the living room, reading. Jess joked that the local library was going to notice that she had gone from checking out the occasional romance novel to checking out three or four classics of literature a week. Sam teased her about her lack of interest in  _real literature_. That is, until Lena asked what Sam liked to read and all she could come up with was a long list of chick lit. They had all laughed about it, and Sam and Jess had agreed to take turns going to the library and local bookshops to get Lena her entertainment without raising suspicions.

 

Once Jess left after dinner Lena would take a bath and then go to bed, in the now cozy alcove, outfitted with a mattress, smuggled in by J’onn in his van, and a nightlight, allowing Lena to read without having to sit at her desk.

 

Lena was thankful for her new friends, the company and laughter filling her days, distracting her from the situation back home. Lillian had been arrested, Lex hadn’t surfaced despite Lena’s hopes that the problems at the company would draw him out of hiding, and the company’s assets had been frozen or seized by the authorities. The bounty on Lena’s head had increased, and the media were speculating her involvement in human experiments her mother had conducted in L-Corps labs.

 

The evenings were dark and lonely, and Lena felt despair and anxiety overwhelm her more than once, staring into the fire for hours when she couldn’t muster up enough energy to distract herself with a book. She longed to be back home, in her own bed, with her own books on her own couch. She longed to be able to order sushi, or chinese, and she even missed the dull company events and board meetings.

 

But soon, other things would occupy her mind, and keep her up at night…

 

\-----

Another storm hit the castle on the ninth night, this one heavier than the last. The night was pitch black, and the rain and wind whipped around the castle, making the old wood and stone creak, howling through the broken towers, playing the ruins like an instrument. Thunder shook the foundations and lightning flashed, bathing the landscape in a bright white light before leaving it pitch black again, leaving Lena blinded for a few moments after each flash. She stood by the window, watching the trees flatten under the storm’s assault, awed by the display of brute force of nature.

 

She had gotten into the habit of drinking several glasses of wine in the evening. Just enough to stop worrying about the headlines and her life back in National City. A pleasant buzz running through her veins to keep her anxiety at bay.

 

Looking at the storm she understood why people here still believed in gods and faeries. She could imagine the witches, dancing in the rain, she could almost hear the sirens sing on the rocky cliffs of the shore at the far end of the property. Nature seemed untamed here, wilder than the inconvenient rain in National City that meant you had to go out with an umbrella. An umbrella wouldn’t do much good against this, she mused.

 

An especially bright flash hit nearby, followed by a loud crack and a clap of thunder rolling through the castle. Lighting had hit, too close, and the force rattled the glass. Lena moved back, instinct pulling her a safe distance away from the windows, into the dark room. The fire in the hearth had almost died out, the room in shadows except for a soft orange glow around the fireplace. Lena had turned off the lights before, to be able to watch the storm without the reflections on the glass blocking her view of the lightning.

 

As the rain outside fell quiet, and the fire dimmed, darkness fell over the room. She felt a cold draft lift the hairs on her neck and arms, paired with a strong feeling of being watched. She stood quiet for a moment, listening, a shiver running down her spine. She could feel eyes focused on her back, but something stopped her from turning around.

 

Long seconds passed, Lena standing paralyzed between the bed and the window, afraid to turn around and confront the person -  _thing?_ -  behind her. The air grew colder, and she knew, without a doubt, that whatever was watching her was malicious, looking to hurt her. She instinctively shut her eyes tight and waited, every muscle in her body taut as a drawn bowstring, ready to run. She had to strain to listen for movement in the room behind her, strain to hear anything over her heartbeat drumming in her ears.

 

Then suddenly the fire flared up, the rain resumed its battering of the windows and the wind returned in full force. A warm feeling washed over Lena, like a warm bath after a long day, or the safety found only in the arms of a mother or a lover. She relaxed and instinctively leaned into it, feeling warmth embrace her, and warm air, like a soft breath whispering over her neck. It lasted long enough for her heart to calm down, her breathing to slow. As soon as the fear had subsided it disappeared, and the moment it was gone she felt a deep pang of loss inside her chest, like a violin’s song cut short by a broken string.

 

She turned around, scanning the darkness of the room, hoping to find a sign of whatever had passed through, but even straining her eyes, trying to pierce the dancing shadows cast by the fire, she found nothing was there.

 

_“_ _Thank you… whoever you are.”_   She whispered into the darkness, hoping whatever had protected her could hear her.  

 

She turned on all the lights before getting into bed, wrapping the blankets around her body tightly. Creating a warm cocoon, half hoping that it would act as a barrier and protect her.

 

It took her a long time to fall asleep that night.

 

\---

_She dreamt of the castle again, she ran through corridors, following a girl in a white dress running ahead, disappearing round the next corner each time Lena thought she might catch up. Lena knew she needed to see her, that she knew her, that her face was infinitely important, but she couldn’t run fast enough. As she stepped on the seam of her dress she stumbled, and as she was falling she called out..._

\---

 

Lena woke up in the middle of the night, out of breath, a name on her tongue that disappeared from her mind as she wrapped her mouth around the sounds. The name of a girl in a white dress.

 

_“Who are you and how do I know you?”_ She whispered into the night.

 

\---

 

The next morning started with the smell of fresh coffee and pastry, as Jess came into her room with a tray. “Good morning Miss Luthor! Terrible storm we had last night, Winn will have his hands full removing all the debris from the garden today! Lighting hit that old oak over by the pond, split it clean in half, can you believe that?”

 

Lena rubbed her eyes, recalling the loud clap the night before and the events that followed it.

 

“Jess…” she started, clearing her throat as the sound came out croaking with the weight of sleep, “Jess, do you remember the first day I came here?”

 

Jess put down the tray and looked at her, one eyebrow raised. “Do you think I have memory problems? That was barely a week ago!” She laughed.

 

“I know but…” Lena paused, wondering if she would sound crazy if she mentioned the presence in her room.

 

“But...?” Jess prompted, taken aback at Lena’s serious tone.

“Do you remember when I walked into the table? What you said after…” Lena avoided looking at her friend, instead stirring her coffee before taking a sip.

 

“Yes, what about it?”

 

“I think… Don’t laugh, I know this sounds crazy, but I think there was something here last night.” Lena blurted it out and waited for Jess to laugh it off.

 

“Some… thing?” Jess sounded worried.

 

“A presence, it wanted to hurt me I think” Lena spoke so softly it was almost a whisper.

 

“Lena, Lee, listen. I told you, it’s just tales. They say this place is haunted to bring in tourism. It’s not, really.” Jess sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than Lena.

 

“I know, I mean… I thought so too, and I don’t believe in ghosts or whatever, but then last night…” Lena looked up at Jess with a helpless shrug.

 

“I promise you you’re safe here Lee, this is the 21st century, not the dark ages. Ghosts are extinct.” Jess sounded more convincing now, and Lena almost believed her. She laughed.

 

“You’re probably right, it must have been the storm messing with my mind. Or the wine.”

 

Jess laughed at that. “That reminds me, I should bring up another barrel from the basement today, you sure know how to drink your way through your mother’s wine collection”.

 

By the time she finished her coffee she had all but forgotten about it, and Jess had turned the conversation to planning for the day.

 

\---

 

They met up with Sam and Winn and spent the day in the garden. Getting thoroughly muddy and cold to the bones, they helped Winn clear away fallen branches and other debris. Sam even grabbed a hatchet to chop up the fallen trees.

 

She exaggerated the motions, rolling up her sleeves to show off her biceps and joking about being the strong lumberjack butch in the family. Winn had fallen under her spell years ago, and Sam loved to tease him even though she had long since told him he was not exactly… her type. She made sure to tell Lena the story in detail, acting out the way 15 year old Winn had asked her to the movies once, and she had them all in stitches, Winn included.

 

“Hey Jess, can you grab this? I’m kind of stuck in this bush”. Lena reached a branch out to Jess to put in the wheelbarrow she was about to move to the compost pile. When no answer came Lena turned around and noticed Jess frozen in place, eyes wide. Following her line of sight her eyes fell on Sam’s tight jeans, pulled even tighter as Sam was bent over sawing through a particularly stubborn tree branch.

 

“Hey, psst, earth to Jess”, Lena poked Jess with the branch and laughed when Jess yelped in surprise. When she handed Jess the branch with a wink and a knowing look in Sam’s direction, Jess colored a deep red and quickly turned around. Lena let out a laugh, here with her friends, working outside, covered in mud and frozen to the bone by the Irish drizzle, she felt happier than she had in a long time.

 

\---

They ended the day with hot cocoa in the castle, warming up by the fire and telling stories of their youth. Sam and Winn had grown up together in the village, playing in the castle ruins and gardens, and the forest beyond it since they were old enough to run. Jess had moved to the village later, after inheriting a small house near the church from an aunt who had moved to a nursing home. Lena told them about growing up, camping with Lex and going to business school in the evenings from age 10.

 

They told Lena about monthly Bingo Nights at the pub, and how she should definitely come next time. Lena’s protests about being found out were quickly overridden by Sam’s plan to disguise her as an American tourist who had come for the ghost tours. “Americans always come for the ghosts” Sam declared merrily.

 

Lena had agreed and they had planned out every detail. The next bingo night would be the following Thursday, so they wouldn’t have to wait long.

 

Once they all left, and Lena was once again alone in the castle, she poured herself a glass of wine and prepared a hot bath to round out the day. This time when she got into bed she felt happy, warm and full of the food and laughter shared with her friends.

 

\---

_ She was running again, this time through the garden. The girl in the white dress ahead of her, darting between the trees. Laughter sparkled through the air as golden curls flowed behind her, illuminated by the flecks of sun penetrating the canopy. _

_ Lena ran until the path ended at a creek, clear water sparkling as it rushed around her bare feet. _

_ Hands came from behind to cover her eyes. “Guess who!” A clear voice exclaimed. Lena turned around and the girl’s lips crashed into hers. Soft lips, and a warm tongue darting out,  a kiss so full of love, a kiss that felt so  right, so real,  that Lena could only melt into it, letting her hands run through golden hair as strong arms wrapped around her waist, lifting her up, their bodies pressed together. Butterflies started to dance in her stomach, working their way up until she felt dizzy with euphoria, drunk on that one kiss. _

_ As she pulled back she saw her, a face she knew so well it felt like home. A smile that made the world seem brighter, eyes that sparkled even brighter than the water of the creek, sunlight dancing over soft skin. _

_ “Who are you?” Lena asked. _

_ The girl grabbed her left hand tightly, the feeling of a warm hand in hers lingering as the dream faded away around Lena. _

\---

 

Lena was woken up by the sun shining in her face. She lay quietly for a while, trying to go back to sleep, to get back to that dream, that girl.  _Who was she?_ Lena was sure she knew her. She closed her fingers in an attempt to find the feeling of that hand in hers, to hold on to that dream for just a moment more.

 

Something shifted against her palm. Pushing herself up on one elbow, she looked down at her hand and slowly opened her fist. There, in her palm, lay a crumpled piece of paper. On it, in long cursive letters, an impossible message.

 

_ I’ve been waiting for you, please come find me.  
_ _ Always yours, _

_ Kara _


End file.
